Exuberant Hospitality at First Baptist Church @NJShorePatch

First Baptist Church of Manasquan, NJExuberant hospitality. That’s how I’d describe Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church of Manasquan.

The worship band was playing before the service began July 17 and soon after I sat down Rev. Joseph Gratzel came over and gave me a tote bag that held a travel mug, a Bible, and information about the church.

“Have you been mugged?” he asked with a smile.

The service began seamlessly with modern worship and two “Pandamania” songs led by Vacation Bible School students. Associate Pastor Martha Bevacqua asked for prayer requests and the congregation called out a host of personal concerns before saying the Lord’s prayer together.

A sign language interpreter translated the service for hearing impaired worshipers and Senior Pastor Joseph Gratzel’s son Gavin called out questions from the back of the room until his dad gently instructed him to be quiet. …

Read the rest at Manasquan Patch.

 Posted on July 24, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Faith, Family, Leadership, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Faith at Work, Part 4: Turning Corporate Leadership Upside Down @TheHighCalling

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Ken Melrose is well known for employing a model of servant leadership to turn around the Toro company when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Earlier this year, he returned to Princeton University, his alma mater, to talk to Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow David W. Miller about the circuitous path he took to becoming a servant leader himself.

Melrose told Miller’s Faith and Ethics in the Executive Suite audience that his dream was to make $50,000 a year as a marketing manager.

“If I could have done that, I would have been a happy clam for the rest of my life,” said Melrose.

He went to work for Pillsbury after earning an MBA at the University of Chicago. Then his boss talked him into starting a technology business together. The business went bankrupt.

“When the Toro job came along, I didn’t want to get into the lawn care business, but I took the job.”

Not exactly an auspicious start to a stellar career.

Miller places Melrose’s style of integrating faith and work in the Experience category of The Integration Box (TIB). In God at Work, Miller says these believers view work as a calling that has “both intrinsic and extrinsic meaning and purpose.” Thus it’s no surprise Melrose sometimes talked about his work in terms of his personal dissatisfaction with it.

Read the rest at The High Calling.

 Posted on July 24, 2011 by

 Culture, Ethics, Faith, Leadership, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: July 11-15

Hitchhiker, NYC

  • Foreclosures Hit Churches Hard: A troubling increase in church foreclosures, especially among African American congregations, has us wondering whether too many churches have jeopardized their witness for the sake of an extravagant new building.
  • Was Slavery Better for Black Children?  After presidential candidate Michele Bachmann signed a traditional marriage pledge with potentially racist elements, the pundits piled on. But is their behavior any better than hers?
  • Death Row Inmates Want Pastoral Care: Where should justice and mercy meet when it comes to the lives of prisoners who are facing the death penalty?

I also began work on a story about a black led Tea Party group’s plan to protest the NAACP national convention. Look for it soon.

 Posted on July 17, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Democracy, Ethics, Faith, History, Leadership, Politics, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Faith at Work, Part 3: Uncompromising Ethics @TheHighCalling

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Jimmy Dunne is, by his own admission, a man who sees the world in black and white. In a time when shades of gray are increasingly admired, this is not always a popular perspective. But Dunne’s singular vision became a bright light for others to follow after his workplace was decimated by terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Dunne is Senior Managing Principal for Sandler O’Neill, an investment banking firm that  suffered the loss of one-third of its 171 member workforce on 9/11/01.

At a 2010 Princeton University event, “Faith & Work Ethics in the Executive Suite,” Dunne spoke at length with Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow David W. Miller about his decision making process in the first harrowing days after he learned that his partners, friends, and coworkers had been killed. Nine-and-a-half years after suffering those losses, Dunne was still emotional about them.

He had survived the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, but was on the golf course the morning of September 11, 2001, when he learned of the second attacks. Thinking about the needs of spouses and children left behind, he quickly decided that these grieving families would receive salaries, medical benefits, and bonuses owed to their missing loved ones. …

Read the rest of this inspiring story at The High Calling.

 Posted on July 14, 2011 by

 Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, Friendship, grief, History, Leadership, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Celebrating the King James Bible @NJShorePatch

Museum of Biblical Art in New York hosts exhibit celebrating translation’s 400th anniversary.

1611 King James Bible at MOBIAWhile there are plenty of places to celebrate a special anniversary right here at the Jersey Shore, for one as monumental as the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, a trip into New York City to see On Eagles’ Wings at the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) is just the thing.

The exhibit features a number of historic manuscripts, including a 1611 first folio edition of the bible and a 1440 New Testament. It also includes a collection of breathtaking paintings (my photos don’t do them justice) that contemporary artist Makoto Fujimura created to illustrate a Crossway Books commemorative edition of The Four Holy Gospels.  …

For a full picture of this wonderful celebration, go to Manasquan Patch.

 Posted on July 14, 2011 by

 Art, Books, church life, Culture, Faith, History, Politics, Public Square, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

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What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: July 4-8

Hitchhiker, NYC

It was a short work week because of the Fourth of July holiday, so even though I wrote three posts for Urban Faith, only one was published this week, and perhaps that’s appropriate given that it’s a bit of an apologetic for my role as News & Religion editor at the site.

The post was inspired by an article about the relaunch of AOL Huffington Post’s Black Voices and included a quote from Ed Gilbreath explaining his vision for Urban Faith. Here are bits and piece of the post, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.

“During the early days of the AOL Huffington Post merger, we had a chuckle when Arianna Huffington was named editor-in-chief of an array of AOL blogs outside her area of expertise … perhaps most glaringly, Black Voices.” So began an article in The New York Observer about the site’s re-launch. …

As news and religion editor at Urban Faith, I’m keenly aware of my own limitations in communicating stories that reflect authentic African American experience and interest, which is why I’m enormously grateful for the black men and women who contribute the majority of UF’s content. …

Urban Faith, on the other hand, has a specific, yet broad vision. Here’s how it was described in a 2008 pre-launch email I received from editor Ed Gilbreath:

“Urban Ministries, Inc. is an African American-owned company. Our core audience is black, and UrbanFaith.com will naturally be rooted in that perspective. At the same time, recognizing the beauty of diversity in God’s kingdom, UrbanFaith.com will strive to also be ethnically inclusive and multicultural in flavor.

Today, urban culture transcends racial boundaries and covers many different socio-economic backgrounds. What’s more, Christians who are engaged in the exciting call to urban ministry come from all races and walks of life. UrbanFaith.com will be more about a way of looking at the world than where folks live or the color of their skin. It will be both for those who make their home in an urban setting and for those who care about the people, culture, and issues related to urban life.” …

Read the whole post here. And, look for those other two articles and more next week.

 Posted on July 8, 2011 by

 About the Explorer, Blogging, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Gabriel Gifford Scheller, grief, History, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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A Pilgrim Message for a Patriotic Weekend at First Presbyterian Church @ManasquanPatch

Rev. Steve Davis takes congregation on a journey from Abraham to America at July 3 worship service, and talks about The Samaritan Center afterward.

First Presbyterian Church of Manasquan“‘The thing that struck me when I first moved here is that there is a great sense of community,” said Davis. “We have people in our church who are the eighth generation.’

Volunteerism, camaraderie and inter-denominational cooperation are regional strengths, he said, and a series of local youth suicides have presented a unique ministerial challenge.

‘Responding to some of those needs through community support, through coordinating efforts between the churches, through working together with different agencies and helping professionals, it’s been gratifying to help pull those groups together and to respond in a united voice,’ said Davis.

One good that has emerged from the tragedies is the development of The Samaritan Center at the Jersey Shore, which is a counseling resource offering direct services to individua ls, but also a referral agency and educational tool for churches and families in the community, said Davis.

‘We have initiated that in the past year together with other churches in the community. We’re hoping that that is going to help contribute to better mental health in the broader community and a place where people can go in dealing with issues of either depression or suicide ideation or any number of other mental health issues,’ he said. …”

Read the whole article at Manasquan Patch.

 Posted on July 8, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Faith, Leadership, Public Square, Redemption, Social Action, Walkin' the Talk

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What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: 6/27-7/1

Hitchhiker, NYC

  • New Laws, Shifting Demographics: Whether the issue is gay marriage, the ‘war on drugs,’ African American marriage prospects, or the plight of undocumented immigrants, Americans are confronting the issues.
  • Michael Tait: ‘Living Integration’: The dc Talk veteran and current Newsboys singer on race, politics, and the beauty of diversity in Christianity, music — and food.

Michael Tait at Jersey Shore Will Graham Celebration May 22, 2011Michael Tait is lead singer of The Newsboys. He and the Grammy-nominated band performed an electric set at the Jersey Shore Will Graham Celebration in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, last month. Best known as a member of the pioneering Christian rock/rap group dc Talk, Tait’s career in the Christian music industry has been defined by stretching the boundaries of art, faith, and culture. Urban Faith News & Religion editor I caught up with Tait as he prepared to take the stage. …

  • Out in Greenwich Village: Should a church that helps people who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction be allowed to stay in one of the nation’s most gay-friendly neighborhoods?

The big news out of New York last weekend was the legalization of gay marriage, but The Village Church in Greenwich Village is under threat of eviction from the public school where it meets and a New York Times op-ed writer says it should be because its ministry to people struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction doesn’t represent the community. I spoke to the church’s senior pastor, Sam A. Andreades, about the church and it’s unique position as the only Exodus International affiliate church in New York City. …

 Posted on July 1, 2011 by

 church life, Community, Culture, Ethics, Faith, Family, History, Leadership, Politics, Public Square, Race, Redemption, Social Action, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Muslims Brave Violent Storm to Attend Friday Prayers @NJShorePatch

Whatever the weather, local Muslims meet for prayer at the Islamic Center of Ocean County.

Islamic Center of Ocean County“Open the gates of mercy for all of us,” Imam Maqsood Qadri prayed as congregants trickled in for Friday afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center of Ocean County in Toms River.

A violent storm had just rolled through the region, pouring down rain and hail, flooding roadways, and making travel dangerous. The communal prayer time, known as Jumu’ ah, was understandably more sparsely attended in the aftermath than it had been when Patch visited June 17.

After offering prayers in both Arabic and English, Qadri’s sermon, or Khutbah, picked up from where it had left off the previous week. He talked again about a miraculous night journeythat Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad took from Mecca to Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem to heaven, where he encountered Jesus and Moses and received revelation about five-times-daily prayers. …

Read the rest here.

 Posted on June 27, 2011 by

 Community, Culture, Faith, Islam, Theology, Walkin' the Talk

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Faith at Work, Part 2: Avodah & the Faith at Work Movement @TheHighCalling

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When Laity Leadership Institute Senior Fellow David W. Miller was studying biblical Hebrew in seminary, he discovered a concept that would come to define his work.

“As I was slogging through Hebrew vocabulary, I came across the word avodah. The root of that word is translated three ways in the Old Testament. Sometimes it’s translated to mean ‘work,’ as in a job; other times, avodah is translated to mean ‘worship,’ as in worshiping God; the third way it’s translated is to mean ‘service,’ as in serving others. That’s what my whole calling is about: avodah,” said Miller.

“Whether one is a secretary or a CEO, our work itself can be a form of honoring God, of worshiping God, and of serving neighbor. It combines the vertical and the horizontal. This concept has ignited me ever since,” he said. …

Read the whole rest at The High Calling.

 Posted on June 27, 2011 by

 church life, Faith, Leadership, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Faith at Work, Part 1: Personal Journey Becomes Professional for David W. Miller @TheHighCalling

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Laity Leadership Senior Fellow David W. Miller was flourishing in his career as a senior executive and partner at a London bank, and felt called to that career, but he seldom, if ever, heard clergy talk about how to integrate his faith into his work. He became intrigued by what he calls “the Sunday/Monday gap.”

What began as a personal pursuit of that topic became a second career after an 18 month discernment process under the mentorship of Anglican clergyman and author John Stottled him to return to the United States to attend Princeton Theological Seminary.

“It wasn’t like I wanted to renounce my past and absolve my sins. I loved what I did and felt that it could be done in a God pleasing way and it was just as important to have people of faith in the marketplace as it was in the mission field,” said Miller.

“I suppose people are drawn to study things either because they’re really good at it or because they’re not really good at it. I was drawn to this subject of integrating faith and work because of my own professional experience of asking how to overcome the Sunday/Monday gap,” he said. …

Read the rest at The High Calling.

 Posted on June 23, 2011 by

 Capitalism, Education, Ethics, Faith, Leadership, Public Square, Theology, Vocation, Walkin' the Talk

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Compromise Keeps Neptune Graduation at Great Auditorium @ManasquanPatch

Neptune High School Graduation Compromise, Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove, NJ

ACLU complaint over holding ceremony at religious venue has been resolved.

Neptune High School seniors will continue decades of tradition tonight when they hold their graduation ceremony at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey had threatened to sue the school district if changes weren’t made to the ceremony after a grandmother complained about the location and religious references in the ceremony last year. …

“The Board of Education and the administration is pleased that there has been a resolution,” said Neptune Township Superintendent of Schools David A. Mooij this morning.

“The intent of the district was always to keep the tradition alive. …It’s a building that cannot be duplicated anywhere, let alone within the geographical and municipal boundaries of Neptune. …” he said.

Katie Wang, communications director for the ACLU of New Jersey, declined to comment on the record Thursday other than to say the media had blown the issue out of proportion, but Wang emailed Patch a news release. …

“The national press on this has gotten way out of control,” said Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association Chief Administrative Officer Scott Hoffman Thursday.

It had been reported, for example, that students would be forced to enter the auditorium from the rear so as to avoid passing the prominent white cross that adorns the front of the building, but there are no front entrance doors and students have always processed from the rear, said Hoffman.

“That’s nothing new,” he said, conceding that “minor adjustments” had been made, including allowing the school district to display banners “in a place they think is appropriate.”

“I’m sure their objective there will be to make it hard to see” [two lighted signs at the front of the auditorium], said Hoffman. The historic signs say “Holiness to the Lord” and “So Be Ye Holy.” …

For the whole story and more photos, go to Manasquan Patch.

 Posted on June 17, 2011 by

 Community, Democracy, Ethics, Faith, Leadership, Politics, Public Square

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